Main description:

Toxicology of the Gastrointestinal Tract focuses on the specifics of the mechanisms and adverse effects of xenobiotic agents and pharmaceuticals on the structure and function of the GI tract. The book focuses on a number of specific areas of intestinal research. Beginning with the well-recognized and major functions of nutrient absorption and its role as a protective barrier, the text elaborates on the expanding body of knowledge that relates to the intestines as a major metabolic and immunologic organ involved in the synthesis and degradation of both natural and foreign substances. It includes an overview of the function and dysfunction of the human absorptive process and the effects of microbial flora on these processes, as well as specific classes of toxicants that target the GI tract. The international panel of contributors presents a critical appraisal of the interactions of chemicals and drugs with the gastrointestinal system and the experimental methods and regions of research on which to focus future efforts.Providing a complete and multidisciplinary overview of the gastrointestinal system both in health and as it is involved in the toxicity of exogenous agents, Toxicology of the Gastrointestinal Tract brings together the current and growing knowledge of this critical organ system in a single volume.

Contents:

Introduction: The Gastrointestinal Tract as Barrier and as Absorptive and
Metabolic Organ, S. C. Gad

Methods for Analysis of Gastrointestinal Function, R. C. Guy

Safety Pharmacology and the GI Tract, H. I. Jacoby

Gastrointestinal Tract Development and Its Importance in Toxicology, J. V. Rodricks, A. A. Yates, and C. L. Kruger

Gastrointestinal Tract as Major Route of Pharmaceutical Administration, R. W. Kapp, Jr.

Gastrointestinal Function and Toxicology in Canines, C. Spainhour

Absorption of Macromolecules by Mammalian Intestinal Epithelium, S. C. Gad

Peyer's Patch Epithelium: An Imperfect Barrier, G. R. Burleson and F. G. Burleson

Alteration of Intestinal Function by Xenobiotic Exposure: Animal Models, S. C. Gad

Intestinal Absorption and Metabolism of Xenobiotics in Laboratory Animals, W. J. Brock

Normal and Abnormal Intestinal Absorption by Humans, D. W. Hobson and V. L. Hobson

Intestinal Absorption and Metabolism of Xenobiotics in Humans, W. J. Brock and D. W. Hobson

Index